A brief history of cricket | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo A brief history of cricket Click here for some more detailed aspects of cricket history The origins of cricket lie somewhere in the Dark Ages - probably after the Roman Empire, almost certainly before the Normans invaded England, and almost certainly somewhere in Northern Europe. All research concedes that the game derived from a very old, widespread and uncomplicated pastime by which one player served up an object, be it a small piece of wood or a ball, and another hit it with a suitably fashioned club. How and when this club-ball game developed into one where the hitter defended a target against the thrower is simply not known. Nor is there any evidence as to when points were awarded dependent upon how far the hitter was able to despatch the missile; nor when helpers joined the two-player contest, thus beginning the evolution into a team game; nor when the defining concept of placing wickets at either end of the pitch was adopted.

Etymological scholarship has variously placed the game in the Celtic, Scandinavian, Anglo-Saxon, Dutch and Norman-French traditions; sociological historians have variously attributed its mediaeval development to high-born country landowners, emigré Flemish cloth-workers, shepherds on the close-cropped downland of south-east England and the close-knit communities of iron- and glass-workers deep in the Kentish Weald. Most of these theories have a solid academic basis, but none is backed with enough evidence to establish a watertight case. The research goes on. What is agreed is that by Tudor times cricket had evolved far enough from club-ball to be recognisable as the game played today; that it was well established in many parts of Kent, Sussex and Surrey; that within a few years it had become a feature of leisure time at a significant number of schools; and - a sure sign of the wide acceptance of any game - that it had become popular enough among young men to earn the disapproval of local magistrates. Dates in cricket history 1550 (approx) Evidence of cricket being played in Guildford, Surrey. 1598 Cricket mentioned in Florio's Italian-English dictionary.

1610 Reference to "cricketing" between Weald and Upland near Chevening, Kent. 1611 Randle Cotgrave's French-English dictionary translates the French word "crosse" as a cricket staff. Two youths fined for playing cricket at Sidlesham, Sussex. 1624 Jasper Vinall becomes first man known to be killed playing cricket: hit by a bat while trying to catch the ball - at Horsted Green, Sussex. 1676 First reference to cricket being played abroad, by British residents in Aleppo, Syria. 1694 Two shillings and sixpence paid for a "wagger" (wager) about a cricket match at Lewes. 1697 First reference to "a great match" with 11 players a side for fifty guineas, in Sussex. 1700 Cricket match announced on Clapham Common. 1709 First recorded inter-county match: Kent v Surrey. 1710 First reference to cricket at Cambridge University. 1727 Articles of Agreement written governing the conduct of matches between the teams of the Duke of Richmond and Mr Brodrick of Peperharow, Surrey.

1729 Date of earliest surviving bat, belonging to John Chitty, now in the pavilion at The Oval. 1730 First recorded match at the Artillery Ground, off City Road, central London, still the cricketing home of the Honourable Artillery Company. 1744 Kent beat All England by one wicket at the Artillery Ground. First known version of the Laws of Cricket, issued by the London Club, formalising the pitch as 22 yards long. 1767 (approx) Foundation of the Hambledon Club in Hampshire, the leading club in England for the next 30 years. 1769 First recorded century, by John Minshull for Duke of Dorset's XI v Wrotham. 1771 Width of bat limited to 4 1/4 inches, where it has remained ever since. 1774 LBW law devised. 1776 Earliest known scorecards, at the Vine Club, Sevenoaks, Kent. 1780 The first six-seamed cricket ball, manufactured by Dukes of Penshurst, Kent.

1787 First match at Thomas Lord's first ground, Dorset Square, Marylebone - White Conduit Club v Middlesex. Formation of Marylebone Cricket Club by members of the White Conduit Club. 1788 First revision of the Laws of Cricket by MCC. 1794 First recorded inter-schools match: Charterhouse v Westminster. 1795 First recorded case of a dismissal "leg before wicket". 1806 First Gentlemen v Players match at Lord's. 1807 First mention of "straight-armed" (i.e. round-arm) bowling: by John Willes of Kent. 1809 Thomas Lord's second ground opened at North Bank, St John's Wood. 1811 First recorded women's county match: Surrey v Hampshire at Ball's Pond, London. 1814 Lord's third ground opened on its present site, also in St John's Wood. 1827 First Oxford v Cambridge match, at Lord's. A draw. 1828 MCC authorise the bowler to raise his hand level with the elbow . 1833 John Nyren publishes his classic Young Cricketer's Tutor and The Cricketers of My Time.

1836 First North v South match, for many years regarded as the principal fixture of the season. 1836 (approx) Batting pads invented. 1841 General Lord Hill, commander-in-chief of the British Army, orders that a cricket ground be made an adjunct of every military barracks. 1844 First official international match: Canada v United States. 1845 First match played at The Oval. 1846 The All-England XI, organised by William Clarke, begins playing matches, often against odds, throughout the country. 1849 First Yorkshire v Lancashire match. 1850 Wicket-keeping gloves first used. 1850 John Wisden bowls all ten batsmen in an innings for North v South. 1853 First mention of a champion county: Nottinghamshire. 1858 First recorded instance of a hat being awarded to a bowler taking three wickets with consecutive balls. 1859 First touring team to leave England, captained by George Parr, draws enthusiastic crowds in the US and Canada. 1864 Overhand bowling authorised by MCC. John Wisden's The Cricketer's Almanack first published.

1868 Team of Australian aborigines tour England. 1873 WG Grace becomes the first player to record 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in a season. First regulations restricting county qualifications, often regarded as the official start of the County Championship. 1877 First Test match: Australia beat England by 45 runs in Melbourne. 1880 First Test in England: a five-wicket win against Australia at The Oval. 1882 Following England's first defeat by Australia in England, an "obituary notice" to English cricket in the Sporting Times leads to the tradition of The Ashes. 1889 South Africa's first Test match. Declarations first authorised, but only on the third day, or in a one-day match. 1890 County Championship officially constituted. Present Lord's pavilion opened . 1895 WG Grace scores 1,000 runs in May, and reaches his 100th hundred. 1899 AEJ Collins scores 628 not out in a junior house match at Clifton College, the highest individual score in any match . Selectors choose England team for home Tests, instead of host club issuing invitations.

1900 Six-ball over becomes the norm, instead of five. 1909 Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC - now the International Cricket Council) set up, with England, Australia and South Africa the original members. 1910 Six runs given for any hit over the boundary, instead of only for a hit out of the ground. 1912 First and only triangular Test series played in England, involving England, Australia and South Africa. 1915 WG Grace dies , aged 67. 1926 Victoria score 1,107 v New South Wales at Melbourne, the record total for a first-class innings. 1928 West Indies' first Test match. AP "Tich" Freeman of Kent and England becomes the only player to take more than 300 first-class wickets in a season: 304. 1930 New Zealand's first Test match. Donald Bradman's first tour of England: he scores 974 runs in the five Ashes Tests, still a record for any Test series. 1931 Stumps made higher (28 inches not 27) and wider (nine inches not eight - this was optional until 1947).

1932 India's first Test match. Hedley Verity of Yorkshire takes ten wickets for ten runs v Nottinghamshire, the best innings analysis in first-class cricket. 1932-33 The Bodyline tour of Australia in which England bowl at batsmen's bodies with a packed leg-side field to neutralise Bradman's scoring. 1934 Jack Hobbs retires, with 197 centuries and 61,237 runs, both records. First women's Test: Australia v England at Brisbane. 1935 MCC condemn and outlaw Bodyline. 1947 Denis Compton of Middlesex and England scores a record 3,816 runs in an English season. 1948 First five-day Tests in England. Bradman concludes Test career with a second-ball duck at The Oval and a batting average of 99.94 - four runs short of 100. 1952 Pakistan's first Test match. 1953 England regain the Ashes after a 19-year gap, the longest ever.

1956 Jim Laker of England takes 19 wickets for 90 v Australia at Manchester, the best match analysis in first-class cricket. 1957 Declarations authorised at any time. 1960 First tied Test, Australia v West Indies at Brisbane. 1963 Distinction between amateur and professional cricketers abolished in English cricket. The first major one-day tournament begins in England: the Gillette Cup. 1969 Limited-over Sunday league inaugurated for first-class counties. 1970 Proposed South African tour of England cancelled: South Africa excluded from international cricket because of their government's apartheid policies. 1971 First one-day international: Australia v England at Melbourne. 1975 First World Cup: West Indies beat Australia in final at Lord's. 1976 First women's match at Lord's, England v Australia. 1977 Centenary Test at Melbourne, with identical result to the first match: Australia beat England by 45 runs. Australian media tycoon Kerry Packer, signs 51 of the world's leading players in defiance of the cricketing authorities.

1978 Graham Yallop of Australia wears a protective helmet to bat in a Test match, the first player to do so. 1979 Packer and official cricket agree peace deal. 1980 Eight-ball over abolished in Australia, making the six-ball over universal. 1981 England beat Australia in Leeds Test, after following on with bookmakers offering odds of 500 to 1 against them winning. 1982 Sri Lanka's first Test match. 1991 South Africa return, with a one-day international in India. 1992 Zimbabwe's first Test match. Durham become the first county since Glamorgan in 1921 to attain firstclass status. 1993 The ICC ceases to be administered by MCC, becoming an independent organisation with its own chief executive. 1994 Brian Lara of Warwickshire becomes the only player to pass 500 in a firstclass innings: 501 not out v Durham. 2000 South Africa's captain Hansie Cronje banned from cricket for life after admitting receiving bribes from bookmakers in match-fixing scandal. Bangladesh's first Test match.

County Championship split into two divisions, with promotion and relegation. The Laws of Cricket revised and rewritten. 2001 Sir Donald Bradman dies, aged 92. 2003 Twenty20 Cup, a 20-over-per-side evening tournament, inaugurated in England. 2004 Lara becomes the first man to score 400 in a Test innings, against England. 2005 The ICC introduces Powerplays and Supersubs in ODIs, and hosts the inaugural Superseries. 2006 Pakistan forfeit a Test at The Oval after being accused of ball tampering. Resources relating to the history of cricket General The measurements of cricket - the origin of the dimensions of cricket by AR Littlewood. National Indigenous first-class and Test cricketers, 1860s to 1960s | australia.gov.au Indigenous first-class and Test cricketers, 1860s to 1960s Don Bradman Indigenous first-class and Test cricketers, 1860s to 1960s Warning. Australian Stories may contain the names and images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now deceased.

Australian Stories also contain links to sites that may use images of Aboriginal and Islander people now deceased. The story of Aboriginal Test cricketers is one of the most controversial in Australian sport. The first Australian Test team of cricketers, selected for a Tour of England in 1868 were all Aboriginal players – years before the first white Australian cricket team went abroad. The First Australian Cricket Team to Tour England 1868, image by Dave Thomas, 2001 Following the tour, Johnny Mullagh (Unaarrimin) and Twopenny (Murrumgunarriman), both continued to play Test cricket. Later, Australia's fastest and best bowlers ever: Jack Marsh, Albert Henry and Eddie Gilbert, were all Test qualifiers but were not selected to tour, specifically because of their race. Cricket was popular at several Aboriginal mission stations across the colonies in the 1870s, including: Coranderrk and Edenhope in Victoria, Deebing Creek in Queensland and Poonindie in South Australia (SA).

In Western Australia (WA), an Aboriginal team from New Norcia – where the game was introduced by Bishop Salvado and encouraged by the missionaries as a 'civilizing' process – became a leading team in the West. However, it was the Aboriginal cricket players from western Victoria who were the nucleus of the 13 member tour of England in 1868. Nannultera, a young Poonindie cricketer, by JM Crossland, 1854. Courtesy of National Gallery of Australia By the 1900s, restrictive policies which 'absorbed' their wages made it difficult for Indigenous cricket players to travel to matches, let alone be able to afford their gear. The reserve system overshadowed the lives of the cricketers. The Queensland Cricket Association arranged that the Protector physically remove first-class players, Albert Henry and Eddie Gilbert, back to their reserves when they were not playing cricket. Even when Indigenous players were given exemptions to travel to play sport, the racism of the 'Protection' era resulted in many bad umpiring decisions which were widely publicised in the mainstream press and sporting journals.

However, gifted, talented and keen first-class Indigenous cricketers did emerge in the 1900s and 1920s; men who clean bowled Test batsmen – such as Eddie Gilbert who bowled Bradman for a duck in 1931. In the 1934-35 season, two women cricketers from Stradbroke Island played for Queensland against the first touring English team, and Faith Thomas represented Australian in 1958. Finally in 1988, Ian King from Stradbroke Island led a new Indigenous Eleven to tour England in memory of the first Test. The first tour of England in 1868 – 'the Black Lords' Aboriginal cricket team versus Melbourne Cricket Club XI, Boxing Day, 1866, LtoR Mr Hayman, Captain Sugar, Jellico, Cuzens, Needy, Mullagh, Bullocky, Tarpot, Sundown, Tom Wills (umpire), Officer and Peter seated. Courtesy of Aussie Sports and Colin Tatz.

A series of matches between Aboriginal teams and others were first organised by William Hayman, from Lake Wallace on Boxing Day 1866, the first match to establish the Boxing Day tradition. First-class cricketer Tom Wills was captain and coach of the team which attracted between 8000 and 10000 spectators. A businessman, William Broughton-Gurnett contracted the team to play matches in Victoria, Sydney and Brisbane followed by a tour to England. In 1867, the team toured NSW in fund-raising matches and devastated the Army and Navy team in Sydney before 5,000 spectators, with eight wickets for 23. Unfortunately the funds were embezzled, leaving the team destitute in Sydney with many in poor health. Some of the members became sick and others died. Soon after a team was resurrected by Charles Lawrence, a professional cricketer who remained in Australia after playing with the first English team to tour in 1861. Lawrence arranged a series of benefit matches to enable the players to return home to Victoria. Lawrence then arranged for the tour of England.

Johnny Cuzens (Y) Zellanach, fast bowler on the tour, 1868. Courtesy of MCC The touring team of 13, with Charles Lawrence as captain, arrived in England on 13 May 1868. Between 7,000 and 9,000 people turned up to watch them play in Surrey on 25 May. Of Mullagh's batting for 73 in 80 minutes against Surrey, The Sporting Gazette wrote, 'a clever performance, and worthy of any batsman, no matter what his country or colour'. Johny Cuzens Zellanach was regarded as a fearsome fast bowler. Most matches featured two days of cricket followed by a third day of 'sports' running events and demonstration of Aboriginal weaponry and traditional skills such as boomerang throwing. This included Dick-a-Dick Jungunjinanuke dodging spears and cricket balls using a parrying shield and leangle (an Aboriginal war club). He was hit just once on the entire tour. This was considered a draw-card by spectators.

The tour match record was seen as impressive with 19 draws, 14 losses and 14 wins as part of a 47 match itinerary. No eleven has in one season ever played so many matches ... so successfully – never playing fewer than two matches in each week, and frequently three, bearing an amount of fatigue that now seems incredible ... Sporting Life, 28 October 1868 in Colin Tatz, Aborigines in Sport, p. 26 First Australian Test team to tour England, 1868, Left to right, King Cole, Jim Jallachmurrimin, Tarboe [or Tiger] (standing),Peter, T W Wills - Capt (standing), Red Cap, Harry Rose [?Mosquito], Mullagh (standing), Bullocky, Cuzens, Dick-a-Dick (standing). Absent are: Sundown Ballrinjarrimin, Twopenny and Charley Dumas, courtesy of MCC The team was on the field for 99 out of a possible 126 days. Fatigue and illness was a serious problem.

King Cole (Brippokei) died of tuberculosis mid-tour, and illness forced Sundown (Ballrinjarrimin) and Jim Crow (Jallachmurrimin) to be sent home in August. The remaining eleven were much fatigued. The tour was a financial success, officially netting a total profit of £2,176, but there is no evidence that any Aboriginal player received payment. On their return the players dispersed, and many died prematurely and in obscurity. Any possibility of subsequent tours ended with the implementation of the Victorian Aboriginal Protection Act 1869, which restricted Aborigines' freedom of association and movement – so no overseas travel. Johnny Mullagh – 'The Black W.G.' of the team Johnny Mullagh Unaarrimin, batsman. Courtesy of West Wimmera Shire Johnny Mullagh (Unaarrimin) achieved fame as 'The Black W.G.' of the team. He not only batted 'elegantly', but also sometimes kept wicket and had a reasonable bowling action, taking '245 wickets at ten runs apiece'. Mullagh scored the most runs with 1,698 as well as its highest individual score of 94.

W.G. Grace, the father of English cricket, stated that the team showed 'conspicuous skill at the game'. Mullagh later played for the Melbourne Cricket Club and represented Victoria against touring English teams in 1870 and 1879 and remained a member of the Harrow Cricket Club. The Johnny Mullagh Cricket Centre has been developed by the Harrow community as a means of celebrating the story of the 1868–69 tour. New Norcia cricket team 1879 - 1906 The New Norcians was a team of mainly Indigenous Australian cricketers, removed as families and children to New Norcia Mission, who played in Western Australia between about 1879 and 1906. When the team appeared on the struggling local cricket scene, it dominated the Perth and Fremantle metropolitan clubs. The local press ironically recognised the racial status and superior cricket ability of the Aborigines by observing: 'the poor despised blacks gained a victory by eight runs'. In the second innings of a match against Fremantle in 1881, Fremantle needed just 49 runs to win.

However soon, the Aboriginal team had removed Fremantle for 17 runs. New Norcia and Victoria Plains cricket team, c1905, Mon'nop is standing second from left was part of the original New Norcia cricket team of 1879. The New Norcians often entertained the crowds before and after matches with athletic demonstrations such as throwing and running. Johnny Blurton, Johnny Maher, Jackimarra, Walley and Yappo – star players The star player for the New Norcians was all-rounder Johnny Blurton. Not usually the regular wicket-keeper, on one occasion he took the gloves and within a few minutes had effected a spectacular stumping. In 1881 The West Australian newspaper described him as 'the best all round cricketer' in that team, 'and perhaps in the colony'. Other noted players were Johnny Maher, an opening bowler and prolific wicket taker and Jackimarra, a left-handed bowler. As well as Blurton, noted batsmen within the team included Walley, Jackimarra and Yappo.

Jack Marsh, Albert Henry and Eddie Gilbert – extreme fast pace bowlers Crowd and match at Sydney Cricket Ground from hill, c1900-02, attributed to William Livermore. SLNSW PXE 711- 293 a116293h In 1900, Jack Marsh made his debut first-class match in New South Wales (NSW), and then in 1901, Albert Henry stepped up before Eddie Gilbert began playing for Queensland in the 1920s and 1930s. All of these Indigenous men were first-class extreme fast pace bowlers. First-class meant they represented their states, NSW and Queensland, in games which were at least three days long and had eleven a side. Yet their successes as fast bowlers created some of the difficult sporting and life situations in which they found themselves. As fast bowlers, bowling balls at the speed of a bullet, Marsh, Henry and Gilbert upset the order of the day. The historical records show that all three bowlers were 'no-balled' many times for 'throwing' by particular umpires.

It was suggested by the commentators of the day that this calling of 'no-ball' by the umpires was because they were Aborigines who consistently clean bowled Test batsmen. Having Aboriginal fast bowlers dismiss famous Test batsmen for either a duck, meaning no score, or scores as low as one, offended some umpires. It just 'wasn't cricket'. Subsequently and controversially, all of them were denied places in Australia's Test teams, with cricketers and commentators stating that it was because 'of their colour'. Jack Marsh – the fastest bowler of the 'Golden Age of Cricket' Jack Marsh. Courtesy of Pat Mullins and Colin Tatz Jack Marsh (1874-1916), a Bundjalung man from Yulgilbar on the Clarence River in northern New South Wales, was an Australian first-class cricketer who represented NSW in six matches from 1900–01 to 1902–03. A controversial right-arm fast bowler of extreme pace, his career was curtailed by continual controversy surrounding the legality of his bowling action. Under the rules of cricket, a cricket ball has to be bowled and not thrown or jerked.

If the umpire is not satisfied that the ball has been bowled then he calls a 'no ball'. Being 'no-balled' means that the ball has to be bowled again. In the case of throwing, an umpire's constant no-balling virtually means the bowler can't go on, and he retires - sometimes for life. 1900–01 Sheffield Shield season – Marsh 'no-balled' with arm splinted Victor Trumper batting Australia, 1913. Courtesy National Museum of Australia At a trial match in November 1900, before the start of the 1900–01 Sheffield Shield season, the umpire Curran called Marsh on the first day of the match for throwing balls. Even so, Marsh went on and had an eventful day. Marsh first clean bowled, the great Test batsman Victor Trumper for one, then bowled another Test batsmen Frank Iredale, and finally, future Test player Bert Hopkins as a third dismissal.

Between 1890-1914, Trumper played 48 test matches for Australia, scoring 3163 runs, and toured England four times between 1899 and 1909. After bowling the Test batsman Trumper, Umpire Curran said he would 'no-ball' Marsh at play next day. The Sydney Morning Herald reported Marsh's response to this threat from Curran Marsh, who was no-balled ... feels so confident that his delivery is fair, that he is prepared to have his arm so bandaged as to render it impossible to bend or jerk the elbow - which is generally accepted constituting a throw. As a matter of fact, he has already demonstrated to some of the principal members of the Sydney Cricket Club that his delivery is absolutely fair. He caused a piece of wood to be tightly fixed along the arm, and bowled as fast as ever. Sydney Morning Herald, 12 November 1900 Marsh had previously performed such an exhibition to ground members with the requisite splints and bandages acquired from the nearby St. Vincent's Hospital.

The stand-off between Jack Marsh and Umpire Curran in November 1900 was controversial and widely reported in the newspapers and the sports press. Subsequently, Umpire Curran withdrew from his position and retired from umpiring the match. However, this did not stop other umpires, in subsequent matches, calling Marsh's fast bowling as no balls. Marsh – enduring first-class records: no-balls and test batsmen dismissed Sydney Cricket Ground, view of the hill for the 1st Test Cricket Match between England and Australia 1901-1902. Courtesy of City of Sydney SLNSW 085797 Two months later, in January 1901 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Richard Callaway — the New South Wales umpire officiating the match — was satisfied with Marsh's bowling action but, his Victorian counterpart Bob Crockett was concerned with the twisting of the bowler's wrist. Crockett called three no-balls against Marsh in the match. Marsh took 3/39 and 3/51 respectively, dismissing four Test batsmen: Peter McAlister, Warwick Armstrong, Jack Worrall and Frank Laver.

In the return match, the controversy came to a head when the umpire Crockett called Marsh for throwing three times in his first over, a further two times in his second over, and a total of 17 times during the innings, a never repeated record in first-class cricket. This provoked rowdy responses from the spectators on the hill of the Sydney Cricket Ground, who regarded the umpire, not the bowler's arm, as being crooked, and jeered Crock! Crock! Crock! It was observed that by this time, Marsh's confidence was low. Marsh – records for first-class cricket averages in bowling Cricket bat used by Victor Trumper, Australian Tour,1913. Courtesy of the National Museum of Australia At this time, Jack Marsh held the record for first-class cricket averages in bowling with 21 wickets at a bowling average of 17.38 in three matches. This compares ahead of the records of famous Australian Test bowlers.

Ken Mackay (1925-1982), a Queensland fast bowler who played 37 matches, bowled 5792 balls, had 1721 runs hit against him during 50 wickets - for an average of 34.42 (1721 divided by 50). Dennis Lillee, regarded as the most accomplished and consistent fast bowler from 1969-1988 had a first-class bowling average of 23.46. Marsh continued to play first-class cricket as well as playing twice against the visiting English team at Bathurst in 1902 and 1905 where he took 5 for 55, bowling a mixture of pace and medium-paced off-cutters. The English team declared him the best bowler that they had faced on tour. No one in Sydney cricket objected to his bowling action.

Marsh was seen as setting a 'fresh standard of hard-wicket excellence and created a new type, differing altogether from anything ever known before', and was described as having gifts no other man in Australia - and probably no other bowler in the world - possesses: he curves the ball, he bowls a peculiar dropping ball, and his break back on a perfect wicket is phenomenal for a bowler of his pace. Referee, 21 October, 1903 Test Cricket – TalkCricket Bangladesh: November 10, 2000 Competition Due to the length of test matches, test cricket (unlike One Day matches) is not played in the same way as a multi-team tournament is usually conducted between two nations, with a series of test matches being placed in the host country and umpires being provided by the host teams. Exceptions to the dual-team nature of test cricket came in the 1912 Triangular Tournament, contested between South Africa, England and Australia and the Asian Test Championship held in 1998-99 and 2001-02 between India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Due to the waning popularity of test cricket, however, recent years have seen the introduction of a six-year rotation cycle in which all the test nations play each other over the course of the cycle, with a trophy going to the top ranking team at the end of the six years. England v Australia Hosted by Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 15 1877, the first test match lasted for four days and was played between England and Australia, marking the beginning of a special competitive relationship between the two teams. Captained by James Lillywhite, Australia won the inaugural test match by 45 runs but, by popular demand, a second match was immediately organised for March 31 and this time England were victorious, winning the contest by 4 wickets. After several further matches between England and Australia, the match that is now regarded as the original ‘Ashes’ was played at the Oval in 1882. The match lasted for three days and after a tense game in which one spectator died of a heart attack, Australia beat the English team by just 7 runs.

The English Cricket team travelled back to Australia and in 1882/3 the two teams played three test matches which made up what is now recognised as the Ashes series. The series did not start well for England and in the first match Australia beat the English team, eight of whom were amateurs, by 9 wickets. In the second match, however, England were on much stronger form and went on to beat the Australian team by 27 runs. In the deciding third match, England’s lead was even better and they won the match by 69 runs, taking home the urn which had been presented to the team by a group of Melbourne ladies. The term ‘the ashes’ originated in 1882 when, after England’s defeat by Australia, a journalist from Sporting Times mockingly said of English Cricket that “the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.” The term stuck and following the article, Hon Ivo Bligh, captain of the English Cricket Team vowed to bring ‘the ashes’ back from their tour around Australia.

The historic trophy which is now represented by a Waterford Crystal urn, was presented to Bligh after a social match in Melbourne in 1882 as a symbol of ‘the ashes’ which his team were hoping to regain. After Bligh’s death the urn was bequeathed to the Marylebone Cricket Club museum at Lords and was the inspiration for the official Ashes trophy which was first presented to the Australian Cricket team after their defeat of England in 1998. Other Test Nations England’s success in the first Ashes series continued between 1884 and 1889, when England won fourteen of the nineteen test matches contested between the two nations. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, sixty four test matches had been played in total, most of which took place between England and Australia but a few between England and South Africa who became a test nation in 1889. Although South Africa lost every one of their first eight test matches, their presence in the highest level of cricketing competition signified the move of test cricket to other parts of the world.

In a series between England and South Africa in 1905/06, the South African team made their mark by beating England 4-1 in a test series hosted by South Africa. In 1912 the first and only triangular tournament took place between South Africa, England and Australia, with England winning the final match against Australia by 244 runs. Although South Africa failed to win any of their matches, they did draw against Australia in the test match played at Trent Bridge from August 5 – 7 1912. By 1918 the three test nations regularly competed against each other, although after the triangular tournament, the contests were always played between two nations. By 1939 India, the West Indies and New Zealand had also made their test debut, significantly increasing the popularity of test cricket around the world.

Early test matches and series results (1901 – 1939): 1901 – Australia v England: 4-1 (Australia) 1902 – England v Australia: 2-1 (Australia) 1902/03 – South Africa v Australia: 2-0 (Australia) 1903/04 – Australia v England: 3-2 (England) 1905 – England v Australia: 2-0 (England) 1905/06 – South Africa v England: 4-1 (South Africa) 1907 – England v South Africa: 1-0 (England) 1907/08 – Australia v England: 4-1 (Australia) 1909 – England v Australia: 2-1 (Australia) 1909/10 – South Africa v England: 3-2 (South Africa) 1910/11 – Australia v South Africa: 4-1 (Australia) 1911/12 – Australia v England: 4-1 (England) 1912 –

 Triangular tournament between South Africa, England and Australia: England won 1913/14 – South Africa v England: 4-0 (England) 1920-21 – Australia v England: 5-0 (Australia) 1921 – England v Australia: 3-0 (Australia) 1921-22 – South Africa v Australia: 1-0 (Australia) 1922-23 – South Africa v England: 2-1 (England) 1924 – England v South Africa: 3-0 (England) 1924-25 – Australia v England: 4-1 (Australia) 1926 – England v Australia: 1-0 (England) 1927-28 – South Africa v England: 2-2 (draw) 1928 – England v West Indies: 2-0 (England) 1928-29 – Australia v England: 4-1 (England) 1929 – England v South Africa: 2-0 (England) 1929-30 – New Zealand

 v England: 1-0 (England) 1929-30 – West Indies v New Zealand: 1-1 (draw) 1930 – England v Australia: 2-1 (Australia) 1930-31 – South Africa v England: 1-0 (South Africa) 1930-31 – Australia v West Indies: 4-1 (Australia) 1931 – England v New Zealand: 1-0 (England) 1931-32 – Australia v South Africa: 5-0 (Australia) 1931-32 – New Zealand v South Africa: 2-0 (South Africa) 1932 – England v India: 1-0 (England) 1932-33 – Australia v England: 4-1 1932-33 – New Zealand v England: 0-0 (draw) 1933 – England v West Indies: 2-0 (England) 1933-34 – India v England: 2-0 (England) 1934 – England v Australia

: 2-1 (Australia) 1934-35 – West Indies v England: 2-1 (West Indies) 1935 – England v South Africa: 1-0 (South Africa) 1935-36 – South Africa v Australia: 4-0 (Australia) 1936 – England v India: 2-0 (India) 1936-37 – Australia v England: 3-2 (Australia) 1937 – England v New Zealand: 1-0 (England) 1938 – England v Australia: 1-1 (Australia) 1938-39 – South Africa v England: 1-0 (England) 1939 – England v West Indies: 1-0 (England) Test cricket was stopped during the Second World War and recommenced in 1946 with the Ashes being hosted by the Australian team.

Test cricket continued to be played between the test nations, with Pakistan being added to the list in 1952, although the Ashes was arguably the most popular of any test series. Ashes matches and series results (1946-70): 1946-47: 3-0 (Australia) 1968: 1-1 (draw) Rebellion against Test Cricket During the 1960’s South Africa’s apartheid policy had a significant impact on international cricket: after South Africa cancelled a series against England because a black cricketer was due to play for the English team, the test nations voted to suspend South Africa from international play. During 1971 and 1991 South Africa organised a series of rebel tours, where international cricket teams were paid large amounts of money to tour South Africa. The ICC blacklisted all players who took part in the rebel matches but the tours still attracted a large number of late career players. In 1977 another rebellion took place, led by Australian business man Kerry Packer who, after a dispute with the Australian Cricket Board over television rights, formed his own privately run cricketing league.

Known as World Series Cricket, the league was successful because it offered much higher payments to players than test matches and for a short time test cricket lost many of its best players to WSC. The new cricket league lasted until 1979, after which a truce was made between Packer and the ACB, and the WSC players went back into the official international contests. Test Cricket Today During the end of the twentieth century, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were all initiated into test cricket and for the first time cricket was no longer dominated by white nations. In recent years the ICC has committed to encouraging the development of cricket in Africa, Asia and America in the hope that more nations will be added to test cricket in the future. Due to the increased popularity of ODI’s (One Day International matches), test cricket has undergone some adjustments marked by the introduction of the ‘Test Championship Table,’ in 2001 which ranks the test nations over a six year cycle. Despite a recent dominance by South Africa, Australia has continually topped the table and is widely regarded as the strongest cricket team in the world.

Test Records Most matches played – England: 864 Most matches won – Australia: 320 Most consecutive test wins – Australia: 1999-00 – 2000-01 Most consecutive losses – Bangladesh: 2001-02 – 2003-04 Most runs in an innings – Sri Lanka (v Columbo, 1997): 952 Fewest runs in an innings – New Zealand (v Auckland, 1954): 26 Most runs scored during career – Brian Lara (West Indies): 11,953 Highest individual score – Brian Lara: 400 (v England, 2003-04) Most runs scored in a series – Don Bradman (Australia): 974 (v England, 1930) Most test centuries – Sachin Tendulkar (India): 37 Most wickets taken during career – Shane Warne (Australia): 708 Most wickets in a series – Jim Laker (England): 49 Most catches during career – Mark Waugh (Australia): 181 Most dismissals – Mark Boucher (

South Africa): 396 Most stumpings – Bert Oldfield (Australia): 52 Most matches played – Steve Waugh (Australia): 168 Most matches played as captain – Allan Border (Australia): 93 Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) - Australia’s Stadiums – Tourism Australia Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is located a short distance from Melbourne's city centre in the Melbourne Sports Precinct at Yarra Park, which also includes the Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena and AAMI Park.

With a total capacity of 100,000 people, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is the largest stadium in Australia, the tenth-largest stadium in the world, and the world's largest stadium for playing cricket. Site Requires Javascript - turn on javascript! Australia.com does not support the internet browser you are using. Please upgrade to a more recent browser so that you can explore the destinations and experiences that await you as you plan your Australian holiday. Welcome to the official Australian tourism website. This site uses cookies. Find out more . Melbourne The Melbourne Cricket Ground is the largest stadium in Australia and the world’s largest stadium for playing cricket. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is located a short distance from Melbourne's city centre in the Melbourne Sports Precinct at Yarra Park, which also includes the Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena and AAMI Park. With a total capacity of 100,000 people, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is the largest stadium in Australia, the tenth-largest stadium in the world, and the world's largest stadium for playing cricket.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground has been the scene of many great sporting events and 'firsts' in Australian sporting history since being built in 1853, just 19 years after the founding of the City of Melbourne itself. It is the home of the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC), the oldest sporting club in Australia. In 1877 the first game of Test cricket in history was played between Australia and England on the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In 1971, the ground hosted the first One Day International cricket match. The Boxing Day Test match on Boxing Day (26 December) each year attracts huge crowds. In winter, it serves as the home of Australian Rules football (AFL). The stadium fills to capacity for the AFL Grand Final in late September. Many international rock concerts have also been held at the MCG. The first rock concert to be held at the ground was David Cassidy in 1974. David Bowie, Paul McCartney, U2, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, the late Michael Jackson, Elton John and Billy Joel have also performed here. The MCG's most famous moment in history was as the main stadium for the 1956 Olympic Games.

The Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2006 Commonwealth Games and athletics events were held at the MCG. A behind-the-scenes tour of the MCG reveals more than 150 years of Australian sporting excellence. Combine your MCG tour with a visit to the National Sports Museum which features thousands of sporting artefacts showcasing the highlights of Australia's sporting history, such as cricket legend Don Bradman's baggy-green cap; Cathy Freeman's gold medal-winning running suit; and Ian Thorpe's full body swimsuit. It also houses a permanent gallery dedicated to horse racing , as well as the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum, Sport Australia Hall of Fame, Australian Cricket Hall of Fame and Australian Football Hall of Fame. Birrarung Marr, on the north bank of the Yarra River between Federation Square and the National Sports Precinct, was named by the Wurundjeri Aboriginal people who originally inhabited the area. Designed to host some of Melbourne's major events and festivals, Birrarung Marr is a place where you can relax or take part in a variety of activities against the backdrop of the Melbourne city skyline and the Yarra River. The MCG is located about 1km from the city centre.

The William Barak pedestrian bridge links Yarra Park with the city. There are two train stations close to the stadium. Jolimont (otherwise known as MCG Station) is a five-minute walk through to the ground. Other transport to the arena includes tram, bus and water taxi. More Holiday Ideas See what else there is near here to inspire your holiday planning. Guide to Melbourne Playing Australia - New Zealand cricket | NZHistory, New Zealand history online The underarm incident (video) Trans-Tasman cricket contests are overshadowed by the unprecedented events of 1 February 1981. New Zealand needed a six from the final ball to tie the match at the MCG. It was an unlikely prospect on one of the world's largest grounds, but Australian captain Greg Chappell ordered his brother Trevor to bowl underarm to New Zealand's no. 10 batsman, Brian McKechnie. This was, at the time, within the rules, if not the spirit, of the game. In one of the great sporting understatements, the television commentator and ex-Australian cricket captain, Bill Lawry, initially described the impending delivery as 'possibly a little bit disappointing'.

Vilified by New Zealand (and many Australian) supporters for their actions, the Chappells later stated that they regretted them, with Greg Chappell claiming that the stress of the occasion had got the better of him. Match scoreboard Lance Cairns and Excalibur, 1983 New Zealand lost the second final of the ODI World Series by a massive 149 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on 13 February 1983, but a cult hero was born when Lance Cairns went down swinging. Wielding a heavy bat called Excalibur, Cairns smashed six huge sixes (one of them using only one hand) off the Australian quick bowlers, thrilling the huge crowd and commentators with his power hitting. Big hitting of this nature has become commonplace in modern ODIs, but these exploits (at one of the biggest grounds in the world) ensured Lance Cairns would become a New Zealand cricketing legend. His son Chris went on to become one of the greatest all-rounders in the New Zealand game. Hadlee at the Gabba The first test at Brisbane in November 1985 will be remembered for the first-innings bowling display by Richard Hadlee.

One of the finest fast bowlers in cricketing history, Hadlee mesmerised the Australian batsmen with pace and movement to capture 9 wickets for 52. The New Zealand total of 553 included centuries by John Reid and Martin Crowe. Despite an Australian fightback in their second innings, New Zealand not only won their first test in Australia but did so by a massive innings and 41 runs. Match scorecard A first test series win in Australia, 1985 After New Zealand's victory in Brisbane in the first match of the 1985 series, the Australians bounced back to win the second test at Sydney, setting up the decider at Perth in late November and early December. Eleven wickets for Richard Hadlee and fine half-centuries by Bruce Edgar and Martin Crowe saw the New Zealanders clinch the series 2–1. Match scoreboard Winning a test series against Australia for the first time in New Zealand, 1986 New Zealand's dominance over Australia in the mid-1980s continued when they followed up the historic 1985 series in Australia with another triumph at home.

Victory in the third test at Eden Park in March 1986 came largely as a result of a tremendous spell of spin bowling by John Bracewell (the current New Zealand coach), who took 6 for 32 in the second innings to dismiss the Australians for a meagre 103. Bracewell picked up 10 wickets for the match. Match scoreboard Mark Greatbatch's marathon in Perth, 1989 It is one of the unique features of the longer version of cricket that two teams can spend five days playing without achieving a definite result. To the uninitiated this might seem like one of the game's great weaknesses, but to the purists it is part of what makes cricket special and unique. The one-off test between New Zealand and Australia in Perth in November 1989 is a prime example of how a record stating 'match drawn' can fail to capture the drama of test-match cricket. Chasing Australia's imposing 521, New Zealand was forced to follow-on early on day four. In extreme heat and up against a strong home bowling line-up, it would take something special to avoid a heavy defeat.

That something came in the form of New Zealand's number three batsman, Mark Greatbatch, who took everything the Australians could throw at him for 485 deliveries in a marathon 655-minute stay at the crease. He ended the match on 146 not out, having almost single-handedly steered New Zealand to a meritorious draw when all seemed lost. Match scorecard New Zealand whitewash Australia 3–0 in Chappell–Hadlee ODI series, 2007 Australia chose to rest key players like captain Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist to keep them fresh for the upcoming 2007 World Cup, and several other players were out injured. Some people argued this was an understrength Australian team, but others pointed out that Australians often bragged about the depth of talent in their domestic game. The final match in the series, at Hamilton on 20 February, was one of the most thrilling one-day games ever. New Zealand chased down a massive 346 with one wicket and three balls to spare.

This was the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history, eclipsing the 337/5 the New Zealanders had posted just two days earlier at Auckland's Eden Park. The series was especially significant in terms of records between the two countries as the New Zealand team had won the first match in Wellington by 10 wickets – the heaviest defeat ever experienced by an Australian ODI team. The series also showed the growth of big hitting since the days when New Zealander Lance Cairns and his bat Excalibur thrilled the crowds with sixes. A total of 26 sixes were hit in the Hamilton match. Chappell–Hadlee third ODI scorecard Doug Bracewell's 6-40 spearheads dramatic comeback in Hobart, 2011 Bracewell's match-winning spell of 6 for 40 in the second innings of this low-scoring affair saw the New Zealanders secure an unlikely victory. Bracewell's return, in only his third test match, was the second-best New Zealand innings figures on Australian soil, after Richard Hadlee's 9 for 52 in Brisbane in 1985.

The victory was all the more remarkable given New Zealand was bowled out in the first innings of the test for a paltry 150 runs. This would prove to be one of the lowest first-innings scores from which a team has won in test history. In the final innings the Australians needed 241 to win and shortly before lunch on the fourth day were well placed at 159-2. Bracewell and his partner in crime Tim Southee then took the match by the scruff of the neck with a devastating spell that reduced the Australians to 199-9. Some late heroics by Australian opener David Warner and number 11 batsman Nathan Lyon threatened to carry the day, before Bracewell clean bowled Lyon to pull off a nail-biting win.

Question: In which Australian city was the first cricket test match played?
Answer: Melbourne